Motorized pulleys



Oct. 24, 1961 J. D. CHRISTIAN 3,005,357

MOTORIZED PULLEYs Filed June 1, 19Go ATTORNEY United sees ,Pacht O MOTORIZED PULLEYS Joseph Dennis Christian, San Francisco, Calif., assignor vto Holo-Flite International Incorporated, San Francisco, Calif. Filed .Tune 1, 1960, Ser. No. 33,258

` 11 Claims. (Cl.' 74-421) This invention relates to pulleys of the kkind comprising a pulley drum that contains an electric motor and a speed reducinggear that drivably connects the motor to the' pulley drums j Y.

v The main object of the present invention is to provide an. improved construction inl the speed reducing gear whereby-greater accessibility'is provided for changing the ratio. Further objects are to `provide improved bearing disposition, simplification of parts, accessibility of all parts for repair, quiet running and durability.

The invention will now be more |fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which is a sectional view of a pulley made in accordance with the invention.

' The pulley Acomprises a pulley drum made in three parts viz. end parts 10, 11 connected together to form a continuous pulley drum by an intermediate part 12 located between the parts 10, 11 and fixed thereto by pins 13 and` by sprags 15, 16 bent inwardly out of the part 12 and engaging in notches in the parts 10, 11. The part 12 has a rubber or other coating 18. The parts 10, 11 are of approximately equal length and have end walls 20, 21 xed thereto by screws 22, 23.

electric motorindicatedgenerally by the arrow 25 has a totally enclosed housing 26 which is very desirable in wet or dusty working conditions, The housing 26 has a tubular spigot 27 that passes out of the drum through the wall 21 and carries a terminal box 28 that is xed by bolts 30 to one of a pair of spaced apart side plates 31, 32 normally provided in belt conveyor systems. The box 28 receives the-ends of the motor conductors 33, 34 and provides connection to aV source of power.

vThe end wall 21 is mounted on la bearing 35 carried by the spigot 27 and has air flow openings such as 36 spaced from the periphery of the wall 21 so that air entering the drum through said openings contacts the end wall of the motor housing 26 at 37 is deflected therebyoutwardly into an air ow passage 38 provided between the housing and the drum over the whole length of the housing. An air delector plate 40 carried on the bolts 30 serves to guide air into ,the openings 36 and prevents entry into the drum of material dropping oi the conveyor belt.

y The motor spindle carries a splined sleeve 42 which issupportedfby a bearing 43 in the housing 26. The housing 26 carries a bearing 444 on which is mounted an inner vwall 45 which supports the drum part 12 and is bolted by bolts 46 to the motor-containing drum part 11 with the interposition of spacer means'48 so that by changing the spacer means the `wall 45 can be adjusted axially along the 'drum' part `12 'whereby any 'length of motor can be accommodated. i

'Ihe wall 45 has air flow openings 49 therein spaced from the periphery of the wall so that the air after traversing the whole length of the housing 26 is caused to ow over the outer end surface 50 of the motor housing for Vetlicient cooling.

Within the drum part is the speed reducing gearing which has a central shaft 52 coaxial with the drum and with the motor shaft and extending completely through the gearing from the motor 'side of the wall 24 where it carries a splined sleeve 53 to a position adjacent the outer end of the drum part 10 where it carries a high speed pinion 54. The sleeve 53 is connected to the motor sleeve 42 by a short splined connecting shaft 56. The gearing 3,005,357 Y Patented Oct. 24, 1.961

ICC

includes a fixed gear housing 57 that is detachably lxed by dowelpins 58 to a plate 59` on a hollow spigot 60 that extends through the wall 20 and carries a fixing disc 61 that is attached by screws-62 to the side plate 31. The wall 20 is mounted on a bearingf63 carried by the spigot 60. i f

The. gear housing has spaced walls 64, 65 which carry a fixed coun-tershaft 66 and a rot-ary countershaft 67, the latter being mounted in bearings 69, 70.

The pinion 54 meshes with a gearwheel 72 on the rotary countershaft 67. The pinion 54 and gearwheel 72 are located between the walls 59, 64 so that if the spigot 60 and wall 59 are removed the pinion and gearwheel are at once accessible and can be changed to provide a dilerent ratioY without disturbing vany parts inside the gear housing 57.

The remaining gears are between the walls 64, 65.

The countershaft 67 Vcarries an integral pinion 74 meshing with a gearwheel that is carried on a sleeve 76. This sleeve is mounted at opposite ends in bearings 77, 78 carried respectively by the walls 64, 65.

The inner end of the sleeve carries a bearing 80 on which the drum wall 24 is mounted. The drum wall carries a bearing 81 in which one end of the shaft 52 is mounted, the other end of this shaft being mounted n a bearing 83 carried by` the wall 64. f

The sleeve 76 carries an integral pinion 84 that meshes with an idler gearwheel 85 which, inturn meshes with internally toothed gear 86 fixed by dowel pins 87 to the drum Wall 24. The idler gearwheel is mounted by a bearing 88 on the fixed countershaft 66. A spacer sleeve 90is disposed between thedrum wall 20 and the internal gear 86 and the parts 90, 86 are spaced from the drum part 10 to define an air llow passage 92. The walls 20, 24 have air ilow openings 93, 94 therein adjacent the peripheries of these walls communicating with the passage 92.

Mounted on the shaft 52 and fixed thereto by pin 95 is a fan 96 located on the motor side of the wall 24 close to said wal-l. therein spaced from its periphery and the fan is shaped to impel the air outwardly-into-the openings 94. Thus, the fan draws air in through the openings 36, over the end surface of thehousing 26, over the whole outer surface of the housing, over the outer end surface of the housing, through openings 49, 97,A 94, passage 92 to discharge at 93 whereby a continuous ow completely through the drum is achieved thereby providing highly effective cooling and enabling the motor to be -used at high rating so that a smaller motor can be used for a given output.

f In addition to the advantages above described:

Theidler 85'on the xed countershaft provides a simplication of parts. j v

The mounting of the fan on V,the gear shaft adjacent the gear enables the -fan to remain in fixed position irrespective of length of the intermediate part 12 which can be varied according to the required belt width. p

Attaching thefspigot 27 to theplate 32 by the intermediary of the junction box provides a simplification and axial shortening of design. i

The straight through gear shaft 52 facilitates mounting of bearings and backstop if required and overload release (e.g. by making 62 a shear pin) if required.

The gear housing 57 transmits the driving torque, provides an oil bath which can be adjusted as to angle about the gear axis. This housing can be connected to a shock absorber. The shaft 52 can be extended for connection to a further gear reduction device.

Accessibility is provided to all parts of the gearing and motor without moving the drum.

Since the length of part 10 is the same as that of part 11, the middle of part 12 is always the middle of the The fan has air ow openings 97 pulley face irrespective of the length of the motor or of part 12.

If desired the inner surface of part may be provided with a helical groove to eject any water or material thatmay enter at 93.

The shaft 52 has widely spaced bearings and passes through sleeve 76 which is in effect a second rotary countershaft. The high speed pinion 54 and low speed pinion 84 are coaxial with each other. This arrangement facilitates 'smooth silent running.

I claim:

1. A pulley comprising drum, a first end wall detach? ably secured to one end of vthe drum, a second end wall detachably secured to the other end of the drum, an electric motor housed within one end of the drum, a rst spigot, said motor having a housing carried at its outer end by said first spigot, said first spigot extending through the first end wall, said motor including a driven spindle coaxial with the drum, a speed reducing gearing housed within the other end of the drum and including a fixed housing, a second spigot extending through the second end wall and detachably connected to the outer end of said fixed housing, said gearing including ashaft coaxial with the motor spindle and connected thereto at its inner end and extending through said fixed housing to a position where its outer end is adjacent the second tubular spigot; a pinion on the outer end of lsaid shaft, a countershaft mounted in the Vfixed gearing housing, a gearwheel on the countershaft meshing with said pinion, and gear means located between said pinion and the inner end of the shaft and connecting the countershaft drivably with the drum, whereby upon removal of the end wall and spigot the pinion and gearwheel become accessible and can be changed to obtain a different required driving ratio.

2. A pulley as claimed in claim l wherein said gear means includes a first toothed element on the countershaft, a sleeve on the coaxial gearing shaft, a second toothed element on said Sleeve meshing with said first toothed element, a third toothed element on the sleeve, a toothed idler wheel which meshes with said third toothed element and internal teeth on the drum meshing with said idler.

v3. A pulley as claimed in claim 2 wherein the idler wheel is rotatably carried on a fixed countershaft carried by the gearing housing.

4. A pulley as claimed in claim 2 wherein the sleeve is carried in bearings in `two spaced walls of the gearing housing and the drum has an inner wall carried by a bearing on said sleeve.

5. A pulley as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drum is made in three parts, viz. V-two end parts housing the gearing and motor respectively and an intermediate part connected between the end parts, and the intermediate part contains an inner wall fixed to the adjacent end part with spacer means between said inner wall and end part, said inner wall being mounted on a bearing carried by the motor housing; whereby the spacer means can be changed to adjust the inner wall according to the length of 4the motor.

6. A pulley as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shaft is carried by a first bearing carried by the fixed housing between'said pinion and said gear means, and a second bearing carried by an inner wall fixed to the drum.

7. A pulley comprising a drum, a rst end wall detachably fixed to one end of the drum, a second end wall detachably fixed to the other end of the drum, a first inner wall mounted across the drum, a second inner wall mounted across the drum, an electric motor housed within one end of the drum and having a motor housing, a first spigot carrying one end of said motor housing and extending out of first end wall, a first bearing on the first spigot and carrying said first end wall, said motor including a driven spindle coaxial with the drum, a speed reducing gearing housed within the other end of the drum and including a fixed gear housing, a second spigot connected to said housing, said second spigot which extends through the second end wall of the drum said gearing including a shaft coaxial with the motor spindle and connected thereto at its inner end, a second bearing on the inner end of the motor housing, said second bearing carrying said first inner wall; a third bearing on said shaft carrying said second inner wall, third and fourth bearings spaced apart from each other along the shaft and supporting said shaft in said gear housing, said gearing including means drivably connecting said shaft with said drum.

8. A pulley as claimed in claim 7 wherein the drum is made in three parts, viz. two end parts housing the gearing and motor respectively and an intermediate part connected between the end parts, and the intermediate part contains said first inner wall bolted to the motorcontaining end part with spacer means between said first inner wall and motor-containing end part, whereby the spacer means can be changed to adjust the inner wall according to the length of the motor.

9. A pulley as claimed in claim 1 having means for attaching the spigot respectively to the side plates of a conveyor apparatus.

10. A pulley as claimed in claim 8 wherein said means at the motor end includes an electric terminal junction box fixed on the first spigot and provided with bolt holes for fixing to the adjacent side plate of the conveyor apparatus.

11.A pulley comprising a drum, an electric motor mounted in one end of the drum, a reduction gearing mounted in the other end of the drum and drivably connected between the motor and the drum, an inner wall located between the motor and the gearing, means including bolts and spacer means for fixing the inner wall in any selected position axially of the drum to accommodate a selected length of motor, a bearing carried by the motor and mounted in said inner wall, said inner wall engaging the inner peripheral surface of the drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,537 Jones Aug. 19, 1919 1,323,245 Berkes Dec. 2, 1919 1,540,588 Alexander lune 2, 1925 1,550,114 Simpson Aug. 18, 1925 1,725,740 Schulte Aug. 20, 1929 2,353,510 Searles et al. July 11, 1944 2,439,521 Miller Apr. 11, 1948 2,500,485 Conway Mar. 14, 1950 2,779,205 Black Ian. 29, 1957 

